How to Create a Broadcast List on WhatsApp (Android & iPhone)
How to Create a Broadcast List on WhatsApp (Android & iPhone)
The step-by-step way to reach dozens of contacts privately, without dumping everyone into one group chat.
Here’s how to create a broadcast group in WhatsApp in under a minute: open the Chats tab, start a New Broadcast (Android) or New List (iPhone), pick up to 256 people from your contacts, and send your message. WhatsApp’s own menu calls this a broadcast list, not a group — and that mismatch between what people search for and what the feature is actually named is why so many first-timers can’t find the option. Below is the exact process for both phones, how to manage a list once it exists, and the one setup detail that quietly stops most broadcasts from being seen at all.
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What a Broadcast List Actually Is (and Isn’t)
A broadcast list is a saved group of contacts that lets you send the same message to all of them in one go — but each person receives it as an ordinary private chat from you, exactly like a normal one-on-one message. Nobody on the list sees who else got it, nobody can reply to the group as a whole, and any replies land back in your inbox as individual private conversations, not a shared thread.
That’s the opposite of how a WhatsApp group behaves, and it’s worth being clear about before you build one: if you actually want people to talk to each other, a broadcast list is the wrong tool. It’s built for one-way updates — reminders, announcements, a heads-up to your team — where you’re the only one who needs to see every reply.
How to Create a Broadcast List on WhatsApp
Step 1. Open WhatsApp and stay on the Chats tab
This is the screen WhatsApp opens to by default, showing all your existing conversations. The broadcast option lives inside this tab on both operating systems, just in different corners.
Step 2. Start a new broadcast list
Step 3. Select your recipients
Search or scroll your contacts and tap each name you want on the list. You can add up to 256 people to a single broadcast list, and you can create as many separate lists as you need for different audiences.
Step 4. Confirm the list
Step 5. Send your first message
Type your text (or attach a photo, video, or document) and hit send, the same way you would in any chat. Your broadcast list now sits in your Chats tab like any other conversation, so you can reopen it and send another update whenever you want — you don’t have to rebuild the list each time.
How to Edit, Add To, or Delete a Broadcast List
Once a list exists, changing who’s on it is quick, though the exact menu differs by phone. On Android, open the broadcast list from your Chats tab, tap the three-dot menu, and select Broadcast list info to add or remove people. On iPhone, go to Broadcast Lists, select the list you want, and tap Edit List.
One thing you can’t do: give the list a custom name. Unlike a group, a broadcast list doesn’t have a name recipients can see — on your own end it’s usually just labeled by the first couple of contacts on it, so if you’re running several lists (say, one for job alerts and one for weekend hangouts), keep a separate note of which is which.
To delete a list entirely: on Android, long-press it in your Chats tab and tap the trash icon; on iPhone, swipe left on it inside Broadcast Lists and tap Delete. Deleting the list doesn’t delete the individual chat history each recipient has with you — it only removes your saved grouping.
It’s also worth knowing that broadcast lists can only be created or edited from your phone. WhatsApp Web and the desktop app will show your existing lists and let you send to them, but the “New broadcast” option itself isn’t there.
What You Can Send in a Broadcast — and What You Can’t
A broadcast message works like any other WhatsApp chat message, so you can send text, photos, videos, voice notes, and documents. Media files are capped at 100MB, the same limit as a regular chat, and you can attach up to 30 photos or videos in a single message if you’re sending a batch.
Two things people expect that broadcast lists don’t actually offer: scheduling and automation. There’s no built-in way to queue a message for later — you have to be at your phone to send it, and every reply has to be answered by you personally, since broadcast lists don’t support chatbots or auto-replies. If you’re on WhatsApp Business, the broadcast feature behaves identically and still caps out at 256 recipients; the Business app’s extra tools (catalogs, quick replies, labels) don’t raise that limit. Businesses that outgrow it typically move to the WhatsApp Business Platform (the paid API), not a bigger version of the same broadcast list.
Broadcast List vs Group vs Community
People often reach for whichever option WhatsApp shows first, but the three tools solve different problems:
If you’re a small business sending order updates or promos to customers who’ve already messaged you, a broadcast list is usually the right call — it’s how a lot of the sellers behind our business WhatsApp groups in Pakistan stay in touch with repeat customers without spamming a shared group. If instead you want people replying to each other, invite-only groups still do that job better.
Common Mistakes That Stop People From Getting Your Broadcasts
Forgetting the “saved number” rule. This is the single biggest reason broadcasts seem to vanish. If even a close contact hasn’t saved you, they get nothing, and you won’t see any error telling you so. Before sending anything important — a job alert, a payment reminder, an event update — ask people to save your number first.
Using it like a marketing blast without asking first. WhatsApp can restrict or ban a number that sends unsolicited bulk messages, broadcast list or not. If you’re running something like a daily job alert service or an earnings tips list, get explicit opt-in before adding anyone, the same way you would for an email list.
Expecting a group-style “read by” list. A broadcast list only shows you the normal delivery and read ticks, per recipient, inside each individual chat. There’s no summary screen showing who opened it and who didn’t — you’d have to check each conversation one at a time.
Trying to brand or rename the list. As covered above, recipients never see a list name. If you’re picturing something customers recognize as “the official updates list,” that’s a group or a WhatsApp Business catalog feature, not a broadcast list.
Assuming 256 contacts is enough for real marketing. For a personal list, a small business, or a close community, 256 is plenty. For anything larger, you’ll hit the ceiling fast and need the WhatsApp Business API or a dedicated bulk-messaging tool instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do people need to save my number to get my broadcast messages?
Yes. If a contact hasn’t saved your phone number, your broadcast message won’t reach them at all, even though they’re on your list. There’s no notification telling you it failed — it just quietly doesn’t arrive.
Can I create a broadcast list from WhatsApp Web or the desktop app?
No. You can send messages to a broadcast list you’ve already created on your phone from the web or desktop app, but the option to build a new list only exists in the mobile app, on both Android and iPhone.
How many contacts can I add to one broadcast list?
Up to 256 per list. You can create as many separate lists as you want if you need to organize different audiences, such as customers, family, or a job-alert group.
Can the people on my broadcast list see each other?
No. Each recipient gets the message in their own private chat and has no way of seeing who else is on the list or how many people received it.
What’s the actual difference between a broadcast list and a WhatsApp group?
A group is a shared chat where every member sees every message and can reply to everyone. A broadcast list sends the same message individually and privately to each person, and replies only ever come back to you. Groups also don’t require anyone to have your number saved; broadcast lists do.
Can I turn a broadcast list into a regular group later?
Not directly — WhatsApp doesn’t offer a convert option. If you decide you want two-way conversation instead, you’ll need to create a new group and add the same contacts manually.
Managing your own broadcast list is great once you already have contacts to message — but if you’re instead looking to find active WhatsApp communities to join, browse our full directory of WhatsApp group links, including business groups and daily job alert groups.